Sam Smith
Articles by
Sam Smith
Page 6The Week in Ideas, May 13, 2011
Arby’s led things off with a challenge to Subway. Fight! Fight! Fight! Some Beef O’Brady’s down south may be regretting a free beer idea. What could possibly go wrong? And an indie in Los Angeles had the bright idea to paint a donkey. PETA, line one.
Why restaurants get killed on public opinion
The traditional tools of legislative influence—lobbying, PACs, grassroots efforts—don’t cut it anymore.
Jeff Harvey’s formula for innovation goes something like this: Enthusiasm plus ownership equals creativity and a willingness to take on challenges. Since he’s been at the helm of Burgerville, the 39-unit chain based in Vancouver, Washington, he’s proven the formula time and again, most notably with a seasonal, gourmet LTO program that hit its stride this year and saw the company improve its new product introduction time from 12 months to 6 weeks—and helped keep sales from declining in the down economy.